Book 1: Equestria Burning
Chapter 3
Far from the dreadful and fearful place Zecora's hut had once represented, as Twilight and her friends approached the zebra's home, it now seemed to shine like a beacon of hope.
Already Twilight could imagine the feeling of accomplishment, the recognition, the warm smile from her mentor's face, on hearing that she and her friends had so quickly found a cure – an herbal remedy, no doubt – to this awful sickness. Her high hopes making her brash, Twilight barged right through the door of the hut. Only to watch, for a second time, an upside-down meditating zebra suddenly wobble and crash to the floor.
“If you ponies continue to refuse to knock,” Zecora chanted, “I will be forced to put in a lock!”
Ignoring the jibe, Twilight burst out, “Zecora! We need your help, there's a horrible sickness going around and we have to find a cure as soon as possible!”
“Very well my dear, let's have one of your sick ones come forward here.” Zecora looked at the ponies, all of whom were looking rather reluctant.
A stern gaze from Twilight at her three sick friends did the trick: while Fluttershy was still cowering, and Rarity was looking very studiously uninterested, Twilight's gaze fell on Rainbow. Rainbow Dash glanced ploddingly to her left and right, to Fluttershy and Rarity, hoping to see one of them stepping forward... but finally allowed herself to be the volunteer, temporarily dropping her 'I'm not sick' act.
Seemingly oblivious to that little drama, Zecora spoke up. “Good, a diagnosis we'll get very quick, and we'll find what has made you sick.” With that, Zecora started wandering all around the hut tossing a strange variety of things into the big cauldron in the center. After a few moments of this, she approached Rainbow. “Now with all that in the brew, I need just one more thing – from you.”
Before Rainbow could cringe away, Zecora darted in and pulled out just one hair from her prismatic mane with a quick nip of her teeth, happening to snag a red one. Rainbow darted back in startlement, but Zecora already had her prize, which she promptly tossed into the cauldron.
Zecora leaned over the brew, watching closely. This, of course, prompted the same behavior from the five ponies, forming a circle of ponies all closely watching the brew, though they didn't know what they were looking for.
Slowly, the mixture began to bubble, building up to a boil, and it began to change color from it's previous milky-white appearance to what was becoming a startlingly vivid blue.
With a worried expression, Zecora went to fetch an old-looking book, and quickly opened it to a well-used page.
With the Zebra incredulously looking back and forth between the pot and the book over and over, finally Twilight could take it no more. “So, what is it? What's the cure?”
Zecora just shook her head. “For this mix to turn so blue... this sickness... it is entirely new.”
“What?” Twilight cried, “You mean you don't know how to cure it!?!”
Zecora looked oddly beaten, hanging her head low and mumbling, “I can treat the symptoms this is sure... but I cannot make a cure.” She stepped over to a shelf and grabbed a couple bottles, handing them to Twilight. “Here, for the coughs, this is the one to take, and that one for when a fever needs to break.” She avoided eye contact, “Twilight, I wish I could help you, but I've done all that I can do.”
As Twilight plodded back towards Ponyville, the three ponies staring hungrily at the bottle of cough cure weren't enough to distract her from her own disappointed inner monologue. Variations of What are we going to do now? replayed incessantly in her mind... Her hopes of a quick cure and a hero's welcome seemed very far away now.
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